The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-03
THE TEXAS CAMEES.
A Few Left of the Original Herd Brought
to Texas Before the War.

a Few Left of the Original Herd Brought
to Texas Before the War.
Galveston News.
In order that the Texas State Fair and Dallas
Exposition may be complete in every particular,
the association has concluded to bring from the
West a number of Texas camels. which they will
place among the products OF Texas 1t is not
generally known that there are camels. both
wild and domestic, in Texas. but it IS neverthe-
less fact. Texas is great State, and has q
little of everything.
A News reporter yesterday called upon MAJ
John Henry Brown in quest of information IN
regard to the history of Texas camels Major
Brown says that they were brought to Texas by
the federal government in 1852 for the purpose
of testing the feasibility of using them in cross
ing the great American desert and the dry
region between here and California Several
Arabian canvassers came along with the camels
for the purpose of instructing the Americans in
their art of handling the animals. These Arabs
remained in the employ OF the government for
the space OF two years. and when they lett IL
was believed that the camels were a success as
means of travelling in the dry region, and it was
also believed the animals would retain their
vigor and health OF their native country. The
government then proceeded to breed them at
Camp Verde. military post in Kerr county,
and they multiplied with great rapidity. When
the came on the cameis of course fell into
tho hands of the Southern Confederacy, which
had control of them the close of the struggle
at which time Major Brown says there were
seventy six caEes at Camp Verde, ranging in
age from one year upward But all the camels
were not concentrated at Camp Verde. They
had scattered during the war, and some OF them
in use in Arizona, while others had wan
dered from the settlements and gone wild. Very
little attention was given to the camels or to
communication by means of them with Califor-
MIA during the war, and by the time the federal
government got Texas reconstructed and ready
resume the caravan business across the
plaius the railroads were solving the problem
for which the camels were being bred, and the
ships of the desert were heard of no moro a
factor in the commerce of America.
The proprietv of running the camels at Camp
Verde into Mexico discussed by some of
the Texans who sought refuge in that republic
at the close of the war. but the matter onded in
discussion.
Major Brown said ne had not kept run OF the
camels of late years, but he is certain that there
are still quite a numb of them, both wild and
tame.
The move to exhibit some of them at the fair
meets with his hearty Endorsement Africa and
Asia could get pretty good camel shows, but
with these exceptions Texas Is the only country
that can trot out a drove of these ng-between-
drinks animals
The reporter asked Major Brown in regard to
tradition of the importation of some camels to
this State by individuals, but he had no definite
recollection concerning the same. He had a
vague idea that somebody brought lot of cam
els to the coast prior to the time the government
importation was made, but could not say what
was the result of the enterprise whether any
of the descendants of the animals were living.